Recently a congregation member asked me about the content and aims of our elementary-age program of religious education.

“What makes this kind of education religious?” they asked me. “It seems that we’re not looking at specific theological beliefs or expressions of them.”

Well, that is true is a narrow sense, but not in the sense of RE as formation of an identity as a spiritual being and as part of a community.  (Every month in RE we follow the same spiritual theme as used in the  services in the sanctuary and in our Soul Matters Small Groups and the Wednesday drop-in group.)

This month in Soul Kids Sunday School, we explored courage; last month we looked at belonging. These qualities help us develop a larger sense of life. Courage and belonging help us get through life. The November theme is change, which Buddhism refers to as impermanence. Change includes loss, growing up, making transitions. Also, there’s “accepting what we can’t change and seeking courage to change what we can.”

In Soul Kids, every time we meet, we have rituals like the chalice lighting and reciting words together, singing, and sharing our milestones. There is a time for letting go of extra energy and a time for settling down and centering. From the Soul Matters materials, our volunteers choose a story that touches on the monthly theme, and they introduce an activity on the day’s topic. Then they say a final blessing and head for the playground.

The activities and stories promote compassion, curiosity, wonder, mutual respect, belonging, hospitality, and inspiration. These are spiritual themes.

The rituals invite us to open up to the spirit within us and the mystery beyond us. This is how we teach (and learn) our Unitarian Universalist values. Our values are the fuel for our work to help others and to build a world that is more just and fair.

Our volunteers in RE do this not only by talking about these values, and not only through the stories and activities, but also by their behaviors, like their personal presence, the practice of listening, the gift of kindness.

Consider helping out in this ministry of spiritual formation with your personal presence on a Sunday morning. Let me know if you are curious!  This is how we create community across generations. It’s how we find the courage to stay true to our values.

–Rev. Roger